Betsy Bobbin
'''Betsy Bobbin' is a little country girl who made several magical adventures in Oz and Baum's Oz chronicles. She is said to be much like Dorothy Gale of Kansas, yet instead of a pet dog, she had a pet mule named Hank. She and Hank are both from Oklahoma. Baum's Description In the Oz stories, Betsy is usually described as having very curly blonde or light-brown hair that is in a mop. Besty Bobbin is said to be wearing poka-dotted dresses and big oversized hair ribbons-bows or bonnets. She also is said to be around one year older than Dorothy Gale which would make her roughly around thirteen years of age as Dorothy herself is hinted to be no older than twelve. Betsy also has a close relationship with her pet mule Hank, whom she met on a ship before it was shipwrecked and the two washed up on the lands of a fairy-country. Personality She is a very timid, shy thing, and never used to the magical marvels that surround her like Ozma or Dorothy. (The Scarecrow of Oz) She, along with Dorothy and Trot, are constant companions and loyal allies of Princess Ozma. History During an ocean voyage Betsy befriended Hank the Mule. Then, one night during a storm, the ship struck a rock and Betsy and Hank were thrown off the deck into the sea. Shortly after that it caught fire, blew up, and sank beneath the waves. They washed ashore in the Rose Kingdom. She teamed up with the Shaggy Man and several others, and together they went to the Nome King's Caverns to rescue the Shaggy Man's Brother. At the end of their adventure, Princess Ozma, at the urging of Dorothy Gale, brought Betsy to the Land of Oz to live in the Emerald City. (Tik-Tok of Oz) Betsy joined Dorothy and others in searching for Ozma. (The Lost Princess of Oz) Betsy was among the guests who attended Ozma's birthday party in the Emerald City. (The Magic of Oz) Book appearances *''Tik-Tok of Oz'' (First Appearance) *''The Scarecrow of Oz'' *''Rinkitink in Oz'' *''The Lost Princess of Oz'' *''The Magic of Oz'' *''Glinda of Oz'' *''The Royal Book of Oz'' *''Kabumpo in Oz'' *''The Lost King of Oz'' *''The Hungry Tiger of Oz'' *''Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz'' *''Ojo in Oz'' Background Betsy has a great deal in common with Dorothy. Dorothy is from Kansas, and washed up onto the shores of a country near Oz with a chicken named Billina; Betsy is from Oklahoma, and arrived in a similar manner with a mule named Hank. Both girls are headstrong and courageous. This is due to the fact that Baum had to create her as a substitute of Dorothy in The Tik-Tok Man of Oz; because Dorothy was being used in the theatre production of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz '' he actually didn't have the rights to use her in his new play. When he turned the play into a novelization, he kept Betsy instead of just using Dorothy. L. Frank Baum leaves Betsy's personal history completely blank. Greg Hunter provides his own version of Betsy's origin in his story "Betsy Bobbin of Oz." External links *Oz encyclopedia entry for Betsy Bobbin *Read Tik Tok of Oz online Bobbin Bobbin Category:Heroines